Page 38 of Claimed By the Dragon

His pupils flashed a second before he cleared his throat and looked away. “I don’t know if it saved you for certain. It needs to be tested more to determine its efficacy.”

Grace could force herself to share more about the bastard who tricked her and handed her over to the prison. Share theheartbreak and sense of betrayal and his eyes changing into those of a monster.

But as the sun broke from the clouds and light danced upon a small lake in the distance, she decided it could wait. She wanted to have a nice, fun day with her mate and her boys.

So, she changed the subject. “Tell me about your research with children and inner dragons. When will you get to see little Freya again?”

And as she listened, Trahern’s voice helped chase away the past and some of the shadows. Even just sharing a little had made her feel lighter already.

Trahern had never experienced a surge of rage or the need to hurt others before, until Grace had said she’d been so depressed and terrified of what might happen to her children that she’d thought about ending it all.

He knew there was more she wasn’t telling him. While Trahern didn’t know all of Grace’s history, he’d assisted Dr. Sid and Dr. Turner with some of the former prisoners. Hayley Beckett had also recounted what she’d seen.

And since Trahern wasn’t a Protector or any kind of warrior, he had focused his talents on counter-serums, antidotes, and even ways of incapacitating large numbers of humans without killing them or hurting dragon-shifters.

Bloody dragon hunters.He looked forward to the day they lost most of their power and dragon-shifters had more equal footing.

For now, however, he answered Grace’s questions about his work, sensing she wanted to change the subject. He’d becomea lot better at reading her expressions and moods, although he still wasn’t an expert.

His dragon had helped him navigate it all, too. While working more and more together was tiring, he was learning to appreciate his beast’s input, especially when it came to Grace and the twins.

His family.

Even if he hadn’t claimed Grace, or worked up the courage to try, he enjoyed kissing her. And holding her hand. A lot. Both things he never thought he’d like, let alone crave.

But he had a different goal today, one he was nervous about. So much so, his palms sweated more and more the closer they got to the lake.

Because he wanted to show Grace and the boys his dragon form.

His beast spoke up.We’ll work together and shift easier this time, you’ll see.

Doing so in the past had always taken work and time. True, Trahern’s dragon had never spoken to him as much as he had over the last two months, so maybe it would be easier.

His dragon spoke again.Don’t fight me as I take control. If you don’t, then shifting will go a lot smoother.

Trahern had never liked handing over control to his beast. Most dragon-shifters didn’t hesitate. And yet, the one time his dragon had tried to contain him in order to claim the naked female all those years ago still made him reluctant.

His dragon stated,I won’t try to claim Grace, no matter how much I want to. She isn’t ready, nor are you. I just want her and our sons to see our dragon form.

It was the first time his beast had referred to Eli and Eddie as theirs, and a sense of rightness settled over Trahern. He may not be their biological father, but they would need a lot of guidanceon being dragon-shifters as they grew up. Guidance on topics he still needed to master himself.

As he glanced at Grace making silly faces at the twins, he smiled. Yes, for her and the boys, he could do this and become proficient at it. He replied,We’ll show her today. No matter how long it takes.

His beast sniffed.It will be faster than before. Trust me.

He did. Mostly.

They reached the willow tree near the lake, and he gestured toward it. “Here’s a well-placed spot with some sun, but we can also easily move under the willow branches for shade, if needed. There is also a large area next to it for my surprise.”

Grace’s gaze moved to his. Unlike with most other people, he didn’t feel the urge to look away.

She raised her eyebrows. “Surprise? What kind of surprise?”

“One you’ll like, I think. Let’s set everything up, ensure the boys are dry and fed, and I’ll show you.”

He quickly unpacked the blanket and little supportive pillows for the boys, and lifted Eli out of the pram since Eddie had shown a recent preference for Grace.

Once he placed Eli in his supportive pillow and Grace did the same for Eddie, he retreated from the blanket and cleared his throat. “Do you want me to show you my surprise?”